Sports

Pa. Senate passes bill banning trans girls and women from school sports

May 6, 2025 | 8:16 PM Five Democrats joined all 27 Republicans to send the bill to the Pa. House. Both House Democratic leadership and Gov. Josh Shapiro opposes the bill. Jordan Wilkie/WITF Jelani Splawn / For Spotlight PA “Over the past half-century, we have fought to protect athletic opportunities for female students,” state Sen. […]

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2 months ago

May 7, 2025

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Pa. Senate passes bill banning trans girls and women from school sports

May 6, 2025 | 8:16 PM

Five Democrats joined all 27 Republicans to send the bill to the Pa. House. Both House Democratic leadership and Gov. Josh Shapiro opposes the bill.

Jordan Wilkie/WITF

Jelani Splawn / For Spotlight PA

“Over the past half-century, we have fought to protect athletic opportunities for female students,” state Sen. Judy Ward (R., Blair), one of the main sponsors of the legislation, said at a rally in early June. “And now these opportunities are in jeopardy.”

After an hour-and-a-half of heated debate, the Pennsylvania Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to ban transgender women and girls from joining women’s and girls’ sports teams. Five Democrats, including newly sworn in Lancaster County Sen. James Malone, joined all 27 Republicans in voting for it.

The legislation, titled Save Women’s Sports Act, would govern child athletics in K-12 public schools and Pennsylvania colleges.

Republicans advocating for the bill said it was about protecting the advancement of women’s equality and the guarantees of equality under Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination.

The bill defines a person’s “sex” by what they were assigned at birth — strictly male or female, with no consideration for gender.

“We cannot allow the opportunities that Title IX enshrined for women to be lost,” Judy Ward, R-Blair County, said after the vote. “With our passage of the Save Women’s Sports Act today, my Senate colleagues and I showed that they will defend women and their right to safe and fair competition.”

Democratic senators opposing the bill said it could result in harm to transgender children and young adults, and that Republicans were engaging in political theater rather than constructive legislation.

What “transgender” means: The Associated Press defines transgender as an adjective that “Describes people whose gender does not match the one usually associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.”

“This is not governance,” said Sen. Maria Collett, D-Montgomery County, during floor debate. “It is a failure to lead, and it is another example of the majority’s unwillingness to admit that the only answer they have for people looking to build a better future here is ‘no.’”

Democrats have opposed the proposal since it was introduced, and it’s almost certainly dead on arrival in the Democratic-led House of Representatives. Gov. Josh Shapiro has also stated he would veto the bill.

Sen. Lisa Boscola of Lehigh County, the only Democrat who voted for the bill to speak during debate, said the issue of transgender people’s participation in sports would not go away until the Legislature “creates a policy that works for all involved.” She suggested creating a third category of competition that would allow athletes of any gender identity to compete against each other.

Claims of harm to girls and women

Republican senators argued that allowing trans girls or women to participate in girls’ or women’s sports cause harm by reducing opportunities for other girls to win medals, and by potentially subjecting other girls to injury.

Defining “trans girls or women”: A person who is assigned male at birth and transitions to align with their identity as a girl or woman is a transgender girl or woman.

During the debate, Republican senators repeatedly referred to trans girls or women as “biological males,” a phrase sometimes used by opponents of transgender rights to portray sex as more simplistic than scientists assert, and to downplay the significance of gender and how it differs from sex.

“ It is a fact that girls and women have been physically injured by boys and men competing on a female team,” said Sen. Lynda Culver, R-Montour County, referring to trans girls and women. “It is a fact that girls and women have lost records, medals, titles to boys and men competing on a female team.”

In opposition to the bill, Sen. Steven Santarsiero, D-Bucks County, said a tiny number of athletes in the country are transgender.

Of roughly 500,000 athletes who compete in the NCAA, fewer than 10 are transgender, according to NCAA President Charlie Baker. There is no clear information on how many transgender youth play sports in Pennsylvania’s public schools. Approximately 1.3% of Pennsylvania’s 12- to 17-year-olds identify as transgender, or about 10,000 children, according to research from UCLA’s Williams Institute. As a national average, four out of 10 transgender highschoolers participate in sports.

One of President Donald Trump’s first actions during his return to the White House in January was to sign an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” similarly barring transgender women and girls from participating in competitive sports.

The NCAA Board of Governors updated the organization’s policy in early February to comply with Trump’s orders. Soon after, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, which oversees public and private schools’ athletic competitions in the state, removed its “Transgender Policy” from its manual to follow suit.

Research on harm to transgender people

In their floor statements, Democrats who opposed the bill described harms to transgender people, beyond a ban on participation in sports. Passing the bill sends a bullying message to all trans people, Santarsiero said.

“ That’s the message that gets sent, and it’s a message that can do real harm to people who are struggling for acceptance, struggling for love and compassion,” he said.

Democrats referenced a study by The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization that focuses on LGBTQ+ youth, that showed state-level anti-transgender laws increase suicide attempts among transgender teenagers by a “statistically significant amount,” though the study found a wide rage of potential impact.

“ I cannot support legislation that would possibly cause harm to any Pennsylvanian and certainly not someone of a vulnerable population,” said Sen. Katie Muth, D-Berks.

Malone splits from Dems

Malone faced pushback from his supporters after he said in a virtual forum last month that he planned to support the bill. The Elizabethtown Democratic Committee posted to social media urging Malone to change his mind, while activist group Lancaster Stands Up did the same in a statement.

After Malone voted for the bill Tuesday, his spokesperson declined to comment.

Lancaster County’s Democratic state representatives, Izzy Smith-Wade-El and Nikki Rivera, both called the bill discriminatory against transgender people. Neither directly criticized Malone’s decision, with Rivera saying she is “only responsible for how I vote.”

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

Sports

Local Surfers Aggressively Crashed a German Surf Contest in France

Local surfers gave university competitors at the German contest a course in localism. Photo: Screenshot French freesurfers ignored lifeguards’ commands and paddled out into the middle of Germany’s official university surfing championships in Seignosse, France. A video posted by German surfer Maya Sauer shows one of the freesurfers dropping into her wave and forcefully pushing […]

Published

8 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Freesurfers Aggressively Crashed a German Surf Contest in France

Local surfers gave university competitors at the German contest a course in localism. Photo: Screenshot

French freesurfers ignored lifeguards’ commands and paddled out into the middle of Germany’s official university surfing championships in Seignosse, France. A video posted by German surfer Maya Sauer shows one of the freesurfers dropping into her wave and forcefully pushing her down.

According to Sauer, the local municipality fully sanctioned and permitted the event. Even so, disgruntled locals paddled out to interrupt it.

“The event was fully approved by the city and paid for,” Sauer wrote on Instagram. “All the necessary licenses were in place for that stretch of beach, flags were up, and lifeguards on scene.”

“But still, a big group of freesurfers deliberately paddled out in the contest area,” she added. “They dropped in on us on purpose, yelled at us, insulted us, and got physically aggressive. The lifeguards tried getting everyone out of the water, but they didn’t listen at all.”

Sauer explained that the French surfer pictured in the video refused to apologize after they approached him, while also acknowledging that it can be difficult to watch your local surf spot undergo drastic change.

“The guy from the video who pushed me off the wave seemed to be proud of what he had done, showing no remorse after being confronted,” she said. “And let’s not forget: the contest had official permission for that stretch of beach, and the freesurfers had no right to be in the water during contest hours. On every other day, they’re the locals and may control the lineup, but not then.”

“I totally understand that it’s frustrating when your home spot feels more crowded every year. I’ve been coming to Hossegor for 11 years now, and I’ve seen how the vibe in the water has changed,” she added. “There’s a lot of tension, and learning to deal with that can be tricky. But there’s a line. And violence, especially against women, should never, ever be part of surfing. It breaks my heart to see things heading in this direction. Surfing is supposed to bring people together. We’re all out there because we love the same thing. I hope we don’t lose sight of that.”

Sauer received a flood of support in the comment section of her Instagram post. German Olympic surfer Tim Elter chimed in and said, “I was about to write a book. But I chose not to. We love you, Maya.”

The event website says (via Google Translate) that the festivities include “surfing, a surf flea market, beach volleyball and spikeball tournaments, live concerts, and parties in a bungalow village right behind the dunes.”

The German university surfing championships, which run from June 14 to 21, are open to students of any state-recognized university in Germany. This year marks the 20th edition of the event.

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Sports

With a heat wave June 21-22 here’s where to swim in, around Green Bay

The greater Green Bay area is expecting a heat wave. Temperatures will peak in the mid-90s June 21 and 22, and in the low 90s on June 23, according to the National Weather Service in Green Bay. The heat index — what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with […]

Published

28 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The greater Green Bay area is expecting a heat wave.

Temperatures will peak in the mid-90s June 21 and 22, and in the low 90s on June 23, according to the National Weather Service in Green Bay. The heat index — what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature — will be between 95 and 105 degrees June 21 and June 22, the NWS said.

Those looking to cool off with a weekend swim day in or around Green Bay have several options, both chlorinated and non-chlorinated.

Here’s our list of pools, splash pads, ponds and lake beaches, along with their weekend hours where applicable.

Here’s where to find pools in Green Bay, De Pere

Colburn Pool, 1025 S. Fisk St. in Green Bay, has open swim from noon to 6 p.m. on weekends. It offers concessions, diving board, lap swim area and water basketball.

Joannes Aquatic Center, 1430 W. Walnut St. in Green Bay, has open swim from noon to 6 p.m. on weekends. It offers zero-depth entry, a diving board, two slides, a tot sand play area, volleyball and concessions.

Resch Aquatic Center, 1058 Reed St. in Green Bay, has open swim from noon to 6 p.m. on weekends. Swimmers can enjoy a climbing wall, drop slide, diving board and a whirl cove area. Other amenities include zero-depth entry, concessions and a sand play area.

The VFW Aquatic Facility, 730 Grant St. in De Pere, is open from 1 to 6 p.m. on weekends and offers a tot play area with zero-depth entry and a lily pad water walkway, basketball hoops, diving boards, a drop slide, rock climbing wall, two body slides and concessions.

The Legion Pool, 1212 Charles St. in De Pere is also open 1 to 6 p.m. on weekends and has a large main pool with diving boards, as well as a zero-depth entry toddler pool. Concessions also are available.

Here’s where to find splash pads in Green Bay

Green Bay’s splash pads are free for the public to use and are located at the following parks from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

The city’s wading pools, open noon to 6 p.m. on weekends, are located at:

For more information, visit wi-greenbay.civicplus.com.

Here’s where to find man-made beaches in Ashwaubenon, Howard, Seymour

Ashwaubomay Lake, in Ashwaubomay Park at 2881 S. Broadway in Ashwaubenon, is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. The lake offers a sand beach, diving boards, tube and toddler slides, floating rafts, water basketball, playgrounds on the sand and water and beach volleyball court. For more information, visit ashwaubenon.gov.

Duck Creek Quarry beach in Howard is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Swimming is free for Howard residents, who must pick up a wristband at the Public Works Department, 1336 Cornell Road. Office hours are 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6 to 10 a.m. Friday.

Seymour Lake Park, 1200 Lake Road, Seymour, has a beach where you can play in the sand or go swimming. There is no fee to swim and it is at your own risk, as there are no lifeguards on duty. There’s also a public restroom available.

Here’s where to swim in Lake Michigan, bay of Green Bay, other naturally occurring waters

Crescent Beach, 1025 Lake St. in Algoma, is open from dawn to 11 p.m., and visitors can swim, play volleyball or launch a kayak from the beach. A changing station is located on the northern end of the boardwalk.

Oconto City Park, 5182 Oconto County N, is a 24-acre park on the shore of the bay of Green Bay. It offers restrooms, two pavilions, playground equipment, horseshoe pits, two sand volleyball courts and fire pits.

Oconto Falls East Side Beach, 631 N. Main St. in Oconto Falls, does not offer lifeguards but does offer access to the large Oconto Falls pond. Bathrooms are available, but non-resident parking is $5 per day or a season pass is available at City Hall for $25. You can also access the pond from Oconto Falls West Side Beach, 307-399 N. Flatley Ave., which has pavilions and picnic areas.

Shawano Lake County Park, W5791 Lake Drive in Shawano, is a 30-acre site that has 800 feet of shoreline and a campground. Visitors have access to a playground, public beach and camp store. There also are restrooms and showers available.

And let’s not forget that not far away, Door County has more than a dozen beaches spread across the peninsula. To find one you’d like to visit, visit the county’s website: doorcounty.com.

Larry Gallup contributed to this report.

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Sports

Princeton University

PRINCETON, N.J. – Brad Hunt was named Assistant Coach of the Year in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Awards, the organization announced Friday. It is Hunt’s second time earning the title this year after winning the honor during the indoor season. Hunt, in his ninth year […]

Published

44 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

PRINCETON, N.J. – Brad Hunt was named Assistant Coach of the Year in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Awards, the organization announced Friday.

It is Hunt’s second time earning the title this year after winning the honor during the indoor season.

Hunt, in his ninth year as assistant coach at Princeton, mentored Mena Scatchard through an outstanding outdoor season that saw the senior break program records in the 800m, 1500m, and 5000m.

At the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Scatchard earned All-America honors after placing ninth in the 1500m final.

Scatchard won Ivy League titles in the 1500m and the 4×800 at Outdoor Heps, before moving on to set a new personal best and program record in the 1500m at NCAA East Regionals.

That Tiger 4×800 squad of Stella Vieth, Hannah Riggins, Olivia Martin and Scatchard set a new Heps record as they clocked in at 8:27.31 to win the gold.

Hunt’s athletes also boasted the top-two times in the 800m in the Mid-Atlantic Region, with Scatchard’s 2:00.81 and Riggins’ 2:02.95.

In addition to serving as an assistant coach for the track program, Hunt is also the head coach of the Tigers’ cross country team. Winning the cross country championship in the fall, Hunt laid the groundwork for Princeton achieve a historic third Ivy League Triple Crown when they won the Outdoor Heps title in the spring.

With Hunt’s athletes combining for 55 points, and the Tigers scoring in 19 of 22 events, Princeton clinched the Outdoor Ivy title with a score of 202.5 – the most points ever scored by a women’s team and the first time a team has broke the 200-point threshold.

Hunt and the Tigers now look back on an outstanding outdoor season that saw Princeton win six individual Ivy championships, set a new 4x800m Ivy Championship record, qualify 16 for regionals and have three athletes earn All-American honors at NCAAs.

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Marshall closes freshman season with 11th-place finish at 2025 USATF U20 Championships

Story Links EUGENE, Ore. – Indiana State freshman thrower Olivia Marshall wrapped up her debut season as a Sycamore Friday, placing 11th in the shot put at the USATF U20 Championships. Marshall recorded a top throw of 13.61m (44-8) in Friday’s competition, which also closed the 2024-25 season for […]

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1 hour ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

EUGENE, Ore. – Indiana State freshman thrower Olivia Marshall wrapped up her debut season as a Sycamore Friday, placing 11th in the shot put at the USATF U20 Championships.

Marshall recorded a top throw of 13.61m (44-8) in Friday’s competition, which also closed the 2024-25 season for Indiana State. The Sycamores had four freshmen – Marshall, Gnister Grant Peyton Smith and Emma Yoder – earn spots at the U20 Championships.

The 2024-25 season was a strong one for Marshall, as she placed in the top 10 in the MVC in four of the five events she competed in between the indoor and outdoor conference championships. She finished in a scoring position for the Blue and White in the shot put at the indoor championships, and placed in the top 10 in both the shot put and hammer throw at the outdoor championships.

With the 2024-25 season coming to a close Friday, the future for Sycamore Track and Field remains extremely bright. More than 80 percent of the Sycamores’ scoring from their MVC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship came from freshmen and sophomores, while nearly 60 percent of the Sycamores’ 200-plus points in the MVC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship came from underclassmen. Indiana State also had six program records, including one MVC record, and 45 program top-10 marks set during the 2025 outdoor season.

Follow the Sycamores

For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field and Cross Country teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.

– #MarchOn –

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Sports

San Diego High’s Jasir Fontenot leads All-CIF boys track and field team

2025 All-CIF San Diego Section boys track and field team Track Athlete of the Year: Jasir Fontenot, San Diego A freshman, Fontenot took the track world by storm. He posted the third-fastest mark all-time and a California record in the 100 hurdles, running a time of 13.31 seconds in the state meet Prelims. He won […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

2025 All-CIF San Diego Section boys track and field team

Track Athlete of the Year: Jasir Fontenot, San Diego

A freshman, Fontenot took the track world by storm. He posted the third-fastest mark all-time and a California record in the 100 hurdles, running a time of 13.31 seconds in the state meet Prelims. He won the state meet with a 13.21, but the mark was wind-aided. He won the CIF San Diego Section championship with a wind-aided 13.40. He also won at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays after placing second at the Arcadia Invitational.

Field Athlete of the Year: ZeShaun Daley, El Camino

A senior, Daley placed sixth in the state in the triple jump with a season best 47 feet, 10 ½ inches. He was the San Diego Section champion, jumping 47-9 1/4 at the section championships and placing fourth in the long jump with a mark of 22-10 1/4.

Coach of the Year: Danny Perez, Mission Bay

First team

Event: Name, School, Year

100: Elliot Getz, Mission Bay, Sr.

200: Laurence Burston, Helix, Sr.

400: Davis Slaughter, Mt. Carmel, Sr.

800: Josiah Bowman, Sage Creek, Jr.

1,600: Cameron Yarbrough, Del Norte, Jr.

3,200: Liam Beighley, Mission Hills, Sr.

100 hurdles: Jasir Fontenot, San Diego, Fr.

300 hurdles: Jayden Bailey, Mission Bay, Sr.

4×100 relay: Harlem Harris (Sr.), Spencer Gray (Sr.), Jeremy Robinson (Fr.) and Laurence Burston (Sr.), Helix

4X400 relay: Abdul Gray (Fr.), Harrison Caufield (Sr.), Bryce Barrus (Sr.) and David Slaughter (Sr.), Mt. Carmel

4×800 relay: Thijs van Eldik Thieme (Sr.), Benjamin Stephens (Jr.), Brandon Sun (Jr.) and Nathan Bamford (Jr.), Scripps Ranch

Long jump: Mekhi Oluwa, Mater Dei Catholic, Jr.

Triple jump: ZeShaun Daley, El Camino, Sr.

High jump: Alijah Cheeks, Mission Bay, So.

Discus: Jayden Gibbs, Oceanside, Jr.

Shot put: Jayden Gibbs, Oceanside, Jr.

Pole vault: Dylan Yarbrough, San Dieguito Academy, Jr.

NOTE: Team based on results from CIF San Diego Section championships.

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Sports

Mountaineers Cap Competition at the USATF U20 Championships

Story Links EUGENE, Ore. – Nine Mountaineers represented App State at the USATF U20 Championships in Eugene, Ore. on Thursday and Friday. The Mountaineers tallied a trio of top-five finishes on the week. “It was a great learning experience for the U20 athletes to come out here to historic […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 21, 2025

Your Sports Nation

EUGENE, Ore. – Nine Mountaineers represented App State at the USATF U20 Championships in Eugene, Ore. on Thursday and Friday. The Mountaineers tallied a trio of top-five finishes on the week.

“It was a great learning experience for the U20 athletes to come out here to historic Hayward Field,” said director of track & field/cross country Damion McLean. “For those who may qualify next year, it will be a different story for them, but this meet is a great opportunity for our newcomers who qualify to build excitement to compete in the Black and Gold and be part of the Mountaineer family.”

Rising sophomore Henry Stark finished fourth with a time of 8:30.53 and fellow rising sophomore Memphis Rich placed fifth with a time of 8:32.46 in the men’s 3,000 meters. The pair moved to fourth and fifth in the App State all-time list for the event. In the men’s 1,500 meters, incoming freshmen Bryant Young and Tate Shore placed fourth (3:55.31) and sixth (3:55.86), respectively.

Incoming freshman Allie Kinlaw placed eighth in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:15.71. Rising sophomore Thomas Wlazlowski also finished eighth in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, clocking a time of 9:18.80. He remains 10th in the App State all-time list in the event with a personal best of 9:03.65, which he set at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships (May 8-10).

In the women’s triple jump, incoming freshman Alana Braxton recorded a leap of 12.24m (40′ 2″) to place eighth overall. Braxton went on to place 11th in the women’s long jump with a leap of 5.55m (18′ 2.5″), while fellow incoming freshman Kelly MacBride took 12th with a leap of 5.25m (17′ 2.75″).

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